Richmond Heights passed its 2014 budget at the regular council meeting March 11.
The city approved the $16,442,510 budget with an estimated revenue of $16,491,078, which leaves the city an estimated general fund balance of $4,004,775.09 at the end of the year.
The budget restores City Hall hours to 40 hours a week. City Hall is currently open 35 hours a week, Finance Committee Chairman Donald O’Toole said.
O’Toole said the pool, which was closed last year, will be open this year. The budget also will add a part-time recreation director and two full-time police officers among other positions. In total, Acting Finance Director Jeff Smock said 10 new positions have been budgeted.
Candidates for two of those positions, recreation director and special assistant to the mayor, have been identified and interviews are expected to start in the coming weeks, said Duane M. Crockrom, a retired HR executive for Parker Hannifin, who is heading up the search committee to fill those jobs.
Smock said $400,000 is going into a capital improvement fund for street programs, which was not budgeted last year.
“This will allow us to do some street work in lieu of having to borrow funds this year to do that,” he said.
City Council held special meetings on March 2, March 4 and March 8 to finalize the budget.
“Our first goal was to not spend any more in 2014 than we budgeted in 2014 and this appropriation does just that,” O’Toole said.
Mayor Miesha Wilson Headen and members of council thanked Smock for the work he did on the budget. Smock was working with a smaller time frame than usual to work on the budget. He was appointed as acting finance director on Dec. 19 after the resignations of Paul Ellis and Michael DeSan.
“If he takes the comp time the city of Richmond Heights owes him at this point, we won’t see him again until the budget is due again in November,” Headen said.
Headen added that Smock often worked until 7 or 8 p.m. and worked on the weekends as well. Smock is also a Chardon City Council member.
“It’s well recognized that you picked up the ball and ran with it real well,” Council President David Roche said. “It’s really appreciated.”